The Criterion Collection

[MitchA17]

Originally Posted by JoeBuck

I'm $200 worth of loyalty points away from getting that $50 gift certificate from Criterion. Now I just need to save up $200 for this sale and I'll be one happy camper!
I desperately need that Zatoichi set

Good luck ! And yeah, the Zatoichi set is spectacular. Worth every penny.

LOVE your avatar, by the way.

[JoeBuck]

Originally Posted by MitchA17

Good luck ! And yeah, the Zatoichi set is spectacular. Worth every penny.

LOVE your avatar, by the way.

Haha, thanks! Bruce is actually coming to town to do some live shows next week. Just bought my ticket tonight!

I've been looking real forward to grabbing that set and was going to buy it at the last sale but needed the money for christmas.
Blessing in disguise though by the looks of it!

[hustlermane]

It's strange with Preminger - he was loved by the auteurists at Cahiers, and seems to be back in favour with the rise of internet cinephilia but I always wonder why his critical reputation as a whole has never been that great. As an illustration, he only has two films in the TSPDT Top 100 (Laura and Anatomy, and both around the 500 mark). For reference, contemporaries like Hawks (11 films), Ford (15), Wilder and Ray (7) outrank him by a mile, while even Lang has four of his American pictures make the cut. He's not the only guy from the time underrepresented (Tashlin has zero? What sort of canon is that?) but it still seems like an alarming snubbing. He does mildly better in the Sight and Sound 2012 list, but not extremely. I feel like he's had to battle away from a reputation like Stanley Kramer's - someone who was progressive and envelope pushing in terms of subject matter and working styles - with his groundbreaking and controversial depictions of drug addiction, rape, homosexuality, not to mention openly hiring HUAC blacklisted writers and firing racist actors mid shoot (look up Eugene Pallette) - but overlooked as a serious artist, who was interested in some extremely complex characters and narratives and was one of the best masters of mis-en-scene (for one, no-one could use the CinemaScope 2.35 picture like he could).

So, here's my completely unsolicited rankings of the films I've seen of his:

1. Bonjour Tristesse
2. Advise & Consent
3. Where the Sidewalk Ends
4. Laura
5. Daisy Kenyon
6. Anatomy of a Murder
7. Angel Face
8. Bunny Lake is Missing
9. River of No Return
10. The Man With the Golden Arm
11. Whirlpool
12. Skidoo

They're all good - even the oddity Skidoo, unquestionably one of the strangest misfires in Hollywood history, needs to be seen to be believed and is a lot of fun. Sadly there isn't a lot of blu-ray representation still of his films, and you have to pay through the nose now for Twilight Time's Bonjour Tristesse which is a shame.

[ravenus]

Originally Posted by hoytereden

Think of a much more subtle Mr. Bean.

So subtle I found at least Mr. Hulot's Vacation rather lacking in humor, I'm afraid. I was much more impressed with Sylvain Chomet's homage in The Illusionist.

[octagon]

Preminger reminds me a lot of Sydney Pollack. They don't really seem to break into that 'great level' very often but they're almost always really, really close.

Their films also have a weird way of seeming a lot more ordinary than they are. 3 Days of the Condor is really, really good but it feels like a fairly standard 70s conspiracy thriller. I just watched Angel Face for the first time a few weeks ago and got a very similar vibe. It was pretty solid overall and looked absolutely gorgeous but at the same time it felt like standard Late Show fare. I get a similar feeling from Advise and Consent.

[alien2010]

Does anyone know whether Criterion will be having a sale in the next two to three months?

[Patrick M.]

Originally Posted by Joe Dalek

FB&N sales tend to have coupons associated with them and most of their media stores stock the full range of Criterions for instant gratification, and they ship worldwide as long as you're willing to wait...and wait...and wait...

I ordered Frances Ha back in November and it hasn't even shipped yet. Don't know if I should laugh or cry.

[smoss469]

Originally Posted by jw007

You're really whetting my appetite here for this film. I might have to walk down to the local library to borrow this sooner than ever.

One of my favorite 2013 pick ups. If you do check it out, I'd love to hear your thoughts!

[hoytereden]

Originally Posted by ravenus

So subtle I found at least Mr. Hulot's Vacation rather lacking in humor, I'm afraid. I was much more impressed with Sylvain Chomet's homage in The Illusionist.

That's too bad. I think it's the best of the Hulot films. Tati's physically at a high level here with a lot of energy. Due to a serious automobile accident his later films show a much more subdued Hulot. The one sight gag I think compares favorably to Keaton, Chaplin, Lloyd is

[Show spoiler]the inner tube gag at the funeral .

Pure genius.

[chickfila3766]

I started watching Stromboli and the subtitles at the bottom are cut off. I've played with my ratios on both my set and the player and nothing seems to fix it without significantly distorting the image. This isn't the first Criterion I've had trouble with. Same issues with the extras on To Be Or Not To Be. I didn't mind so much as the subtitles were just on the extras so I watched it distorted. But this is an issue with the primary movie and I'm frustrated. Thanks.

[The Stick]

Originally Posted by ravenus

So subtle I found at least Mr. Hulot's Vacation rather lacking in humor, I'm afraid. I was much more impressed with Sylvain Chomet's homage in The Illusionist.

It's actually Mr. Hulot's Holiday...and it was the first Tati film I saw (a few years ago) and my reaction was similar to yours. I was disappointed in that I didn't think it was all that funny too, especially after all I read & heard about this film. Having grown up watching silent comedies, I just thought it was much better done (the comedy) during the silent era.

But since then, I have watched Mon Oncle and Playtime and had the opposite reaction. I enjoyed both films much much more than Mr. Hulot's Holiday. Mon Oncle especially is a visual treat and would look especially great in blu...and reason enough for me to be interested in the upcoming Tati set, if any, from Criterion. I'll be willing to give Mr. Hulot's Holiday another shot then.

[Mansinthe]

Originally Posted by chickfila3766

I started watching Stromboli and the subtitles at the bottom are cut off. I've played with my ratios on both my set and the player and nothing seems to fix it without significantly distorting the image. This isn't the first Criterion I've had trouble with. Same issues with the extras on To Be Or Not To Be. I didn't mind so much as the subtitles were just on the extras so I watched it distorted. But this is an issue with the primary movie and I'm frustrated. Thanks.

they look perfectly fine here. so the problem must be on your side. or are you trying to watch the movie full screen?

[The Great Owl]

Originally Posted by andsoitgoes

On a serious note, 4K

[Show spoiler]
I know it may have been mentioned here before, but with the grim realization of how much I have invested in blu-ray, specifically in my Criterion films, and I honestly don't believe I can fathom upgrading beyond what I have now. There's no way I could justify repurchasing even a fraction of my collection.

The big question I have, and I apologize if I'm beating a horse that's already been kicked, spit on and wait... Why the hell is that phrase even in our vernacular? Who in their right mind would beat a horse to death to begin with? Further to that point, what kind of psychopath would then continue to beat the horse, only to be told to stop the beating of...

I digress.

Will Anatomy of a Murder REALLY look that much better in 4K?

When I look at DVD counterparts, most of the criterion films weren't even able to be properly restored until recently. I understand that many of the films actually are natively 4K due to film resolution in general, even some older films. Where do we draw that line?

I know my excitement lies in the ability to have better motion technology (I literally want to cry every time there is panning in a film, because on my 2 yr old tv, it looks like garbage.) and full resolution passive 3D, but the thought of investing thousands upon thousands when I sit an easy 14' from my tv. Heck, with my vision and comparing the charts, I can barely see the benefit of 720p on my 55" TV.

I could be wrong, but here's my overall impression of the 4K phenomenon...

I imagine that we'll eventually see 4K discs of some standout classic movies, like Gone With the Wind, 2001: A Space Odyssey, and The Wizard of Oz. These transfers will probably be unbelievably beautiful, and worth the investment of serious fans of these movies.

For the vast majority of existing movies, though, I'm inclined to think that the process of restoring them to the current standards of high definition Blu-ray is already problematic enough. A case in point is the discussion a few days ago in this thread about the picture quality of the films in the Alfred Hitchcock: The Masterpiece Collection Blu-ray set. Also consider the current Blu-ray transfers of The Earrings of Madame de..., Children of Paradise, or even the French Blu-ray of Le Samourai. Finally, check out the arguments in the main thread about the different Blu-ray editions of Predator or the main forum thread about the recent Blu-ray release of In the Heat of the Night.

There are so many great movies out there that have not even made it to the existing Blu-ray format right now due to supposed difficulties with prints. The Val Lewton horror movies, the movies in the Warner Film Noir Classic Collection volumes, the Criterion Eclipse films, etc.

I'd like to think that we already own the definitive editions of most of the movies currently available on Criterion Blu-ray. I'd also like to think that the Olive Films Blu-rays of scrappy 1940s/1950s movies that I love so much are the definitive editions of those movies.

I somehow cannot imagine the idea of a revelatory 4K disc of the original 1954 version of Godzilla coming along and making the existing Blu-ray obsolete.

I predict that 4K technology will mostly be a "from today forward" transition, and those looking for the best editions of the Marvel superhero sequels or of James Cameron's upcoming Avatar sequels will reap the most benefit from jumping to 4K technology right now.

As I said, though, I could be wrong. Pro-B or someone else probably has a more informed prediction.

At any rate, I'm not losing a lot of sleep over the 4K issue right now.

I waited until 2012 to upgrade from DVD to Blu-ray. As a result, I was able to buy my first HDTV and Blu-ray player for less than $500 from Best Buy, and I've been able to purchase the majority of Blu-rays in my collection for less than $15. I have no plans to be a forerunner with 4K televisions or 4K movies either, and I'm cool to wait until the technology costs only a fraction of what it costs today.

I've never bothered to own the brightest and best home theater technology. I consider myself to be a cinephile, as opposed to a videophile.
I'll upgrade, but only when the expense of doing so falls within rational parameters.

Actually, I'll probably wait until I see 4K upgrades of the James Bond 007 movies before I jump to the new technology. Where Bond goes, I'll follow. That's how it has been with respect to all of my previous home video format transitions, at least.

[ShellOilJunior]

From what I've read about 4K it seems it requires a very large display. Viewing 4K movies on something like a 40'' TV does little.

[Cinemach]

Yeah, if you plan on running some type of home-cinema, celebrity cribs style home cinema or larger, 4K could be a reasonable investment...though I'd surmise even that bluray (~2K) could still suffice for much of even the most luxuriant residential cases, depending on screensize and how far away people sit.

But even when/if I upgrade from my 40" to something in the 50"-60" range, I won't be seeking out 4K content because it wouldn't make any real appreciable difference. Appreciable is the key word: it might look better scientfically/tech-wise, but will it be worth the price to upgrade from the blu, or for the invariable upcharge on the bluray price? I'm not so sure about that.

Not to mention the bandwidth concerns this brings for streaming. I have a fairly fast internet connection, but even HD streaming buffers sometimes at peak hours.

And all this is foregoing the average person; I still know many people who, on their large, widescreen television still watch purely SC content via cable, streaming, or DVDs and are perfectly fine with it. Surely they should see a difference between SD/HD or even 4K, but would they even care?

[TJS_Blu]

Originally Posted by andsoitgoes

Will Anatomy of a Murder REALLY look that much better in 4K?

Up to 6 percent better resolution.

If they can get OLED working with 4K and make it affordable (there's a 4K LCD from Vizio hitting the market this fall for less than a thousand bucks), and you can see a demo of, say Lawrence of Arabia on that set up, THAT's when the weeping and moaning/sackcloth and ashes will commence. But that's a ways off.

[TJS_Blu]

Originally Posted by ShellOilJunior

From what I've read about 4K it seems it requires a very large display. Viewing 4K movies on something like a 40'' TV does little.

AFAIK, most people can't tell the difference between 720 & 1080P on a 40" display. I think 50" is the threshold for spotting that difference. I would assume 75" for a noticeable difference between 2K & 4K...?

[smoss469]

Originally Posted by TJS_Blu

AFAIK, most people can't tell the difference between 720 & 1080P on a 40" display. I think 50" is the threshold for spotting that difference. I would assume 75" for a noticeable difference between 2K & 4K...?

Is that the reason why most TV's in the 21-29" range are 720P and not 1080P?

[Brad1107]

Has anyone seen the film The Ballad of Jack and Rose? Daniel Day-Lewis and Catherine Keener star, directed by Daniels wife Rebecca Miller, who is the daughter of playwright Arthur Miller. It's a beautiful film and I think it'd be right up Criterions alley.

Wish someone would release it somewhere in the world.

Also anybody here have the Japanese editions of Dancer in the Dark or Berlin Alexanderplatz and could comment on them? Especially if Berlin has subtitles or not? Relevant because of the directors!

[TJS_Blu]

Originally Posted by smoss469

Is that the reason why most TV's in the 21-29" range are 720P and not 1080P?

I'm sure that's a contributing factor.